Moreover, there are other factors that need to come hand in hand with hard work, that involve not just being an achiever, but also managing your career, such as strategic thinking, networking, relationship-building, likeability, or being a team player. Don't be the office conscience. Obviously, if something is heinously wrong, tell someone, but you need to weigh the benefit of pointing out minor infractions against the possible consequences. Obediently Following Instructions: don’t put your head down to work right away to show you’re such a good employee. Instead, ask questions and consider how it can be done faster, and better I'm so impressed with the book I intend on buying copies for female friends as graduation presents. I also loved that Frankel recommends a plethora of other resources and career coaching books throughout. She is a generous author who never fails to cite and recommend her influences, a rare skill in a world of self-promotional and narcissistic branding.

Success comes not from acting more like a man, as some might lead you to believe, but by acting more like a woman instead of a girl. Yet there’s one thing women can change: if you’re a woman, chances are good that over time you’ve learned to unconsciously sabotage yourself. For example, you may avoid assertive behavior for fear of being labeled “bossy” or find yourself reluctant to compete because competing is “unfeminine.” The fundamental message of moving beyond what young women are taught about being 'a nice girl' is great. There are sprouts of really strong material around improving communication learned in childhood, definitely. But the structure of the book (a giant listicle) doesn't go in depth about any one, and there are better resources for this.

Stop needing to be liked. I think this is so ingrained in teaching gender roles--that it's better to be liked than many other things. Remember that when people are angry/annoyed at you, it might be because they're trying to get you to do something that they want/act a certain way. I'm not sure that I 100% agree with this, but I do know that being liked isn't necessarily the best method of achieving what you want at the risk of everything else. But this gap is not only a problem in the United States: women are less likely to hold well-paid and highly influential positions all over the world. DON'T BE SO MODEST. Again, I think this is so ingrained in women that it's hard to take credit for a job well done. Stop saying "Oh, it was nothing." It WAS something. Learn how to say "thank you" after being given a compliment. I'm trying so hard on this one, and I think some things are actually beginning to sink in!

See “ No More Mr. Nice Guy“, or “ Why Men Love Bitches“. But people are nice because, if you strike that balance between kindness and strength, it works. Some of the "mistakes" I will change, because they were never actions I consciously decided to do. They were more instilled messages from society, culture and family, that I carry around with me.

I say ‘the right words’ because Lois P. Frankel left me with very mixed feelings. I loved it and hated it. The author said avoiding office politics was a mistake. For years, I have been trying to avoid the politics because I thought I was above it, and I thought it was the "right" thing to do. My mistake. Manage expectations--don't get taken advantage of. Be willing to go the extra mile, but make sure to tell people when an expectation is unrealistic. As cliched as it sounds, this book was a revelation to me. As a young feminist who is just starting out in her career, I was relatively certain that the professional world would have changed since Frankel wrote her book and that acting in a professional (yet reserved) fashion would be sufficient in today's workplace. Clearly, I was mistaken (although not as much as I thought). So although this book mainly shares examples of real women in the corporate world and industries which tend to be more conservative (and also more men-led) such as banking or law, there’s still valuable nuggets of advice for those whose main ambition in life has nothing to do with climbing the corporate ladder.